Steam-cushion valve.



N.B.HENRY.

STEAM CUSHION VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1914.

WITNESSES:

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

INVENTOR.

NBHenrJ TTORNEY.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHQ WASHINGTON- D K a 0 I view, myinventlon has relation tocertaln -ed a reciprocatory piston 2 fast uponthe I UNHED smarts Parana errata. A

.NELsON B. HENRY, or DALLAS, TEXAS, assrenonro MURRAY COMPANY, OFDALLAS,

- TEXAS, A CORPORATION or TEXAS. 1

STEAM-CUSHION VALVE.

5 of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSteam-Cushion Valves, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to anew and useful steam cushion valve, and itsobject is to provide a steam cushion valve that will serve toautomatically retard the exhaust from a cylinder as the pistonapproaches one of the cylinder heads, thereby opposing a steam cushionto the upward movement of the piston, and preventing such impact of thepiston with the cylinder head as might loosen or detach the head.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of'the'character described that will be particularly adapted for use in Vconjunction .with the cylinder of a steam actuated cotton presstramper.

It is finally the object of my invention to that will be strong,durable, simple and Gillcient and comparatively easy to construct,

and also one that will not be likely to get out of working order. 7

With these and various otherobjects in novel features of constructionanduse, an example of which is described in the following specification,and is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top view of a vertical steam cylinder such as commonlyused in conjunction with a cotton press. Fig. 2 is a View of the same inside elevation. Fig. 3 is an axial vertical sectional view of myimproved steam cushion valve showing a portion of the cylinder carryingsaid valve and a portion of the reciprocating members within saidcylinder.

Referring now more particularly to th drawing, wherein like referencecharacters designate similar parts in all the figures, the numeral 1denotes an elongated vertical steam cylinder, the heads of which areindicated at 1. Withinsaid cylinder is mountupper end of an elongated"piston rod 3 passing slidably through the lower cylinder head. Theupper head of the cylinder is Specification of Letters Patent.

provide a device ofv the character described,"

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

Application filed July 24, 1914. Serial No. 852,903.

formed with a central aperture threaded to recelve the lower portion ofa nipple 4. The upper portion of the nipplev4 is threaded into the lowerend of a valve casing 5 having; a vertical bore 6 the axis of which iscoincident with that of the cylinder, the diameter of said borebeingsomewhat greater 7 than the interior diameter of the nipple 4.

5 and is threaded at its upper end to receive The bore 6 extends to thetop of the casing nipple 4, there is passed a tubular plunger Q 8, the'exteriordiame'ter of the plunger being slightly less than the interiordiameter of the nipple. This plunger isshown in Fig.

3 asv occupying theuppermost limitingposition of a certain verticaldisplacement to,

which the plunger is periodicallysubjected in the use of my device. Inthe same figure there is also indicated in dash -lines the lowermostlimiting position which the plunger is adapted to assume. Adjacent toeach ofits extremities, (both of which are open) the 5 plunger rod 8 isformed with several steam ports 9.- The upper extremity of the plungerrod is exteriorly threaded to receive a plunger head 10, which isadjusted upon said rod to a position just below the ports 9, as isclearly shown in Fig. 3, the diameter of the plunger head'lO beingslightly less than that of the bore 6. When the parts 8' and 10 areintheir lowermost positions, the plunger head is seated .upon the shoulderformed by the juncture of the bore 6 with the passage of the nipple4,and the plunger rod extends for somedistance into the cylinder 1 asindicated in dash lines in Fig. 3. Th'emovement of the 'members 8 and 10from their lowermost to their uppermost positions is actuated by thepiston 2 as itapproaches the upper head ,1, and the return motion of theparts 8 and 10 to their *lowermost position is actuated both by theweight of said parts and by a preponderanceof steam pressure above thecollar produced in a manner hereinafter made clear,-said returnmotiontaking place during the initial portion of the downward stroke ofthe piston 2. Adjacent to the lower extremity of the bore 6, it has com-'munication with a horizontally; extending orifice 11, which orificecommunicates with a pipe 12, through which steam may pass to or from myvalve. The orifice 11 has communication with the lower end of a verticaltubular steam passage 13, having its upper portion somewhat larger indiameter than the lower portion, thereby producing an annular shoulder14 forming a seat "for a valve ball 15. The passage 13 is extended tothe top of the body 5 and is threaded at its upper end to receive a plug17. The upper portion of the passage 13 has communication through anupwardly inclined tubular orifice 16 with the upper end of the bore 6(see Fig. 3).

The structural features of my invention having been above fullydescribed, an explanation will now be given as to the operation of thedevice. When the parts 2, 3, 8 and 10 are in their uppermost positionsas illus trated in the drawings, steam is conducted to my valve throughthe pipe 12. Since only a small portion or the steam may flow into thecylinder 1 through the space intervening between the plunger rod 8 andthe nipple 4:, the pressure of steam will raise the ball 15 and thesteam will find a passage into the upper portion of the bore 6 throughthe openings 13 and 16. It will then enter the interior passage of thetubular rod 8 through the upper ports 9 and willescape into the upperportion of the cylinder 1. through the lower ports '9. The piston 2 willnow begin its downward stroke, the members 8 and 10 riding down upon ituntil the member 10 seats itself in the lower end of the bore 6. Whenthe parts 8 and 10 reach this position, the steam will enter thecylinder 1 with increased volume since it may flow th ough the orifice11 downwardly into the top of the member 8. hen the piston 2 is makingits upward stroke (produced by admission of steam to the lower end ofthe cylinder 1 through the pipe 18), the pipe 12 serves to conduct awaythe exhaust steam, and until the piston has almost completed its upwardstroke, the steam will exhaust freely through the tubular plunger rod 8and through the orifice 11 into the pipe 12. During the final portion ofthe upward stroke of the piston 2, the members 8 and 9 will ride up uponthe piston, and when the plunger head 10 in its upward movement hascrossed the orifice 11 the steam mustexhaust upwardly through the slightspace intervening between the piston head 10 and the wall of the bore 6.The exhaust of steam during the final portion of the upward stroke ofthe piston 2 will thus be sufiiciently retarded'to cushion the forceacting upwardly upon the piston'so that its upward stroke may terminatewithout forcible impact of the piston against the upper cylinder head.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications andchanges as properly come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with avertical steam cylinder, and a piston reciprocatory within the same, oia valve casing surmountin the cylinder formed with a vertical bore andhava discharge orifice in communication with the bore, a tubular steamconducting plunger rod passing vertically through a passage establishingcommunication between the cylinder and bore and having an exteriordiameter slightly less than the diameter of the passage, a steam portbeing formed in said plunger at each end thereof,

and a plunger head rigidly carried by the upper end of the plunger rodbeneath the upper port, the plunger rod being proportioned to projectinto the cylinder in its lowest position, in which position the plungerhead occupies a position below the dis charge orifice, the plunger rodand plunger being displaced upwardly by the piston in the final portionoi its upward stroke, shitting the plunger head to a point above thedischarge orifice.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with avertical steam cylinder, and a piston reciprocatory within the same, ofa valve casing surmounting the casing formed with a vertical bore andhaving a discharge orifice in communication with the bore, and furtherformed with a steam passage connecting theupper end of the bore with thedischarge orifice, a valve interposed in said steam passage allowing aflow of steam to the bore but preventing a flow in the other direction,means for conductingv steam to or from the discharge orifice, a tubularsteam conducting plunger rod passing vertically through a passage estab-1 lishing communication between the cylinder and bore, and having anexterior diameter slightly less than the diameter of said passage, asteam port being formed in said rod at each extremity, and a plungerhead rigidly carried by the upper end of the plunger rod beneath theupper port, the plunger rod being proportioned to project into thecylinder in its lowest position, in which position, the plunger headoccupies a position below the discharge orifice, said rod and plungerbeing displaced by the piston in the final portion of its upward strokeshifting the piston to a point above the discharge orifice.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with avertical steam cylinder and a piston reciprocatory within the same, or avalve casing surmounting the cylinder formed with a vertical bore andhaving a discharge orifice in communication with the bore, a tubularsteam conducting rod passing vertically through a passage establishingcommunication between the cylinder and bore, and having an exteriordithe plunger rod occupies a position'below the discharge orifice, saidrod and the plunger head being displaced upwardly by the piston in thefinal portion of its upward stroke, shifting the plunger head to a pointabove the discharge orifice, the valve body being formed with a passagecommunicating with the upper portion of the bore, through which steam,may be admitted thereto.

4:. In a device of the character described, the combination with avertical steam cylinder and a piston reciprocatory within the same, of avalve casing surmounting the cylinder formed with a vertical bore andhaving a discharge orifice in communication with the bore, a tubularsteam conducting plunger rod passing vertically through a passageestablishing communication between the cylinder and bore, a small flowof steam being possible between said rod and the wall of said passage, asteam port being formed in said rod at each end thereof, and a plungerhead rigidly carried by the upper end of the rod beneath the upper port,said rod being proportionedto project into the cylinder in its lowestposition, in which position the plunger head occupies a position belowthe discharge orifice, the-plunger rod and plunger being displacedupwardly by the piston during the final portion of its upward stroke,shifting the plunger head to a point p a above the discharge orifice.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

- NELSON B. HENRY. Witnesses: r

R. E. C. BRUCKNER, I V J. S. MURRAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0." r

